VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS 01/23/07)-The Rev. Reginald T. Fletcher will join the staff of National Ministries on February 1 as national coordinator for Youth and Campus Ministries.
A graduate of Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa, Fletcher earned a Master of Theology degree at Iliff School of Theology, Denver, Colo. Since October 2000, he has been minister to youth at The Emmanuel Baptist Church, Colorado Springs, Colo. In that position, he has been responsible for the religious education of children, youth, and young adults. He has served as community liaison and was responsible for a wide variety of age group programs and ministries, with an emphasis on youth leadership and service.
He has also been parent resource coordinator for the Urban League of the Pikes Peak Region in Colorado, where he taught workshops and seminars on literacy and effective parenting, and also focused on health issues in marginalized and oppressed communities. He previously was state youth and college advisor for the NAACP State Conference based in Denver, Colo. Since 2001, he has served on the Steering Committee and as advisor to Iliff School of Theology's FaithTrek, a program which helps youth explore religious vocation as a calling. He was a member of the planning committee for Encounter, the National Gathering of American Baptist Youth, in 2004.
National Ministries' associate executive director for Program Ministries, the Rev. Marilyn Turner, said, "Reginald Fletcher has a strong passion for youth ministry and social justice. The depth and breadth of his experience in these areas, as well as his desire to effectively equip young people to reach their full potential for Christian service in their communities, will be a great asset to National Ministries' initiative in transforming leadership."
"Reginald Fletcher has excellent credentials and broad experience in youth and campus ministries," said the Rev. Dr. David Laubach, National Ministries' associate executive director for Program Ministries. "He fervently believes that youth can be powerful catalysts for change. We look forward to welcoming him to our staff," Laubach said.
"Now more than ever," said Fletcher, "we must raise a generation of freedom fighters and social activists who are conscious of the injustices in our world, and who are willing to connect their faith with social transformation in order to make a difference in our communities. I believe God has called me to empower youth to become torch carriers for truth and beacons of hope for those in despair."
Andrew C. Jayne American Baptist Churches, USA Mission Resource Development http://www.abc-usa.org/